Once again, I am really sorry for cranking out chapters so slowly. I had an tournament to go to on the 10th, so I was really preparing myself for it. Now, I have some time on my hands (It's March break!) so hopefully, I will be able to write faster. Once again, feedback, flames, and reminders to get back to work can be sent to strider_yoshi@yahoo.com, and remember to review! Reviews help me uh...work harder...ok I lied, but it's always nice to get a review, let's you know what people think of your work. Cheers!
Chapter 8
Nightfall.
It was dark, with the only light coming from the moonlight, cold, and Serena was really, really tired. They had hiked, with little breaks, almost the entire day, until they had reached the foot of the mountain pass. After finding several suitable caves for Peregrin's plan, they had retired for the night, after eating a quick meal of rations. Right now, it was Serena's shift on watch. As she sat, scanning the horizons with some new invention called "binoculars," for any sign of activity, the boredom was beginning to take a toll on her, and she was beginning to feel drowsy. She glanced at her watch and cursed: she still had an hour left before her shift ended.
Serena's thoughts began to wander. Despite her earlier show of confidence, she was wondering if she really would be able to lead an group of soldiers into battle. One wrong mistake on her part could cost her, her troops, and everyone else's lives: it was a huge responsibility. However, she knew that Peregrin had confidence in her abilities, and that gave her hope. With him leading, they would have a chance. The soft sound of approaching footsteps came from behind Serena, and she half turned, as Peregrin, looking calm as ever, sat down beside her.
"You can turn in for the night." Peregrin said. "I'll take the rest of your shift."
"No, it's alright. I just have another hour left, then my shift is done."
"I'll keep you company then."
"Peregrin, shouldn't you be asleep was well? You need your rest."
"Over my lifetime, I've learned to go ready with a minimal amount of sleep. I just don't feel tired at all right now."
Serena shrugged. "Fine." They were both silent for a while, with only the soft snoring coming from the members of Peregrin's soldiers breaking the silence.
"Peregrin, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did, but I'll give you another one."
"Very witty," Serena said, rolling her eyes. "Peregrin, why do you do these things?"
Peregrin turned to look at her, a questioning look on his face. "Huh?"
Serena bit her lip, and searched her thoughts for a way to express what she was trying to ask. "You're not selfish. You saved Ginny and I, taking on terrible odds. There were other people who saw us, you know. But they knew better than to get involved. You, on the other hand, just jumped right in, without a second thought.
"And your work on the farm. First to rise, last to go to bed. You're always constantly working, never taking breaks, never complaining. You almost drive Father crazy with your work ethic! It makes him look lazy.
"Taking on a group of trainees, and training them to become skilled warriors. Investing all your time, without asking for any sort of payment."
"And what we're doing right now! We're about to take on a group of ruthless criminals. Any other man would have fled, far, far away, and saved his own skin, even if it meant the death of other people. You, on the other hand, would never consider such a thing."
"So I ask, why?"
Peregrin didn't bother trying to lighten the situation with a joke, which Serena appreciated. Serena watched his face, silently, and saw him struggle to try to come up with an answer.
"I've seen a lot of things during my lifetime."
Serena waited.
"One of them was the death of my teacher."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright. He had a good life. Anyway, what he did, was selflessly trained me, when no one else would bother to look at a little urchin like me. He didn't have to do it. He got nothing out of it. Yet he did it anyway.
"I'm just trying to follow his example. If I don't work hard, then I've betrayed what he's taught me over the years. If I don't help other people, I've betrayed his memory as well.
He fell silent, and Serena realized he was finished. This was the first time he had really opened up about himself. Peregrin got up, and brushed himself off.
"Where are you going?" Serena asked.
"Well, your watch is over," Peregrin replied, smiling. "I was just about to wake Lydia up, then I thought I'd get some sleep."
Serena looked at her watch, surprised. He was right. She watched as Peregrin shook Lydia, waking her up, then crawled into his sleeping bag.
Serena greeted Lydia, then crawled into her own sleeping bag. She was asleep in seconds.
*
They came right during dinner, the next day.
"Oh my God! They're here!" Vincent said. Everyone became deathly quiet, and all looked toward Max.
Max sighed, then stood up. He picked up the pair of binoculars, and looked out in the direction that Vincent pointed in. There, in the distance he could see a throng of people, colourfully dressed, all sporting the crest that Adom's Mercenaries wore.
Max put down his binoculars. "Adom's finally here." He looked at the pale paces before him. "Serena, gather your group. Everyone, make your final preparatory check. This is it. I have faith in all of you. Remember the plan. Good luck."
Serena nodded to Max, then holding her head up high, gave a quick hand motion, signalling her group to follow. Together, they travelled North, where a certain cave awaited, from where they would spring their ambush. Max looked around at the remaining members of the group.
"Let's go."
They headed South, and entered their hiding spot. Nervous chatter began to break out from Max's group. Max shushed it down. For this plan to work, it would require complete silence. They waited.
Soon enough, they heard the sound of voices approaching. Apparently, Adom's Mercenaries didn't know the value of subtlety. They were making no attempt at all to travel with any sort of stealth.
"Overconfident," Max thought. Perfect.
As the Mercenaries drew near, Max stepped out, alone, into the path of three dozen armed men. Their raucous laughter quickly stopped as they saw Max.
Max sighed. The plan would have been much more efficient if he didn't have to do this. However, his sense of honour did not allow him to pre-emptively strike at this group of disgusting beings. He had to at least make the offer, though the chances of them accepting were slim.
"Your name?" Max asked to the apparent leader of the group.
"I am Adom Thracio, leader of Adom's Mercenaries," said a particularly cold-eyed man, with a sallow face, and somewhat long, greasy hair. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I am known as Peregrin," Max replied.
"So. You're the boy who slaughtered six of my men." Murmurs rose from the group behind Adom.
"Yes. Why are you heading toward this village?"
"To kill you." Adom grinned. "And to kill the rest of those fools in the village who kept you safe from us."
Max gritted his teeth. He always hated to see bullies, and although he had seen more vile, and evil criminals, they simply weren't as petty as the man standing in front of him.
Max shook his head. "I'm giving you one chance, and one chance only. Turn back now."
Adom simply raised one eyebrow, as the rest of his men laughed uproariously, and hurled insults toward Max, which he ignored. "Why should we?"
Max put on a determined face. "So you will live."
Adom shook his head in bemusement. "I'm sorry, Peregrin, but have you noticed the situation you're in? You fool! You should be pleading for your life right now!"
Max sighed. He recognized bluster and over-confidence when he saw it, and Adom was filled up to the brim with it. "Final warning. Turn back now."
Adom smirked. "I don't know, let me think...no. Now you're going to die." He drew a particularly wicked looking sword. I'm going to enjoy this.
Max wasn't listening. He was already concentrating. He slipped on the Evil Ring, and held up his right hand. The Ring began to glow...
Adom frowned. What exactly was the boy doing? He must have something planned. He looked around, then finally looked up. His jaw dropped as he looked at the sky above. Their, a floating green ball of energy had mysteriously appeared.
The green ball lazily floated towards the rear end of Adom's group. It then began lashing out with green bolts of energy. Men died in an instant, screaming in agony, as their bodies were quickly roasted inside. Since Adom's Mercenaries were so tightly packed together, they were fodder for Max's Bolt 3 spell. Several men were killed, and more were badly injured. The green ball of energy disappeared.
Max quickly summoned the destructive energy of the Evil Ring again. That same green ball of energy appeared out of thin air again, and lashed out once more with its bolts. The result was pretty much the same, as men died horribly. Max noticed that the Evil Ring had began to emit smoke, and he decided to stop calling on it's energy. Adom's Mercenaries were left in confusion, as Adom began screaming calls to battle. Max drew his sword, and shouted.
"Charge!"
Serena heard Max's shout, and signalling the rest of her group, took off at a run, and charged toward the rear of the enemy's formation. They were on the Mercenaries before they were even aware of their presence. Swords flashed, and the sounds of steel meeting flesh, and the cries of the wounded rang out. Serena and her group cut through her disorganized enemies with ease. Max had trained them well. Serena was doing a particularly gruesome job of slaying mercenaries.
On Max's side of the battle, the rest of Max's group charged out from their hiding spot, and engaged Adom's Mercenaries. Lydia and Vincent worked together as a team, covering each other, and cut through the enemies like butter. Max personally engaged Adom in a duel. Adom was a ruthless criminal, hardened, and tough. However, Max was possibly the greatest swordsman in the world. He had faced off against great enemies like Kain, and Darksol. He had defeated Dark Dragon. His edge hadn't been dulled at all by his time away from the Shining Force. In short, Adom didn't have a chance.
Adom lunged, trying to stab Max. It would have killed him cleanly, except for the fact that Max was no longer there. He had read Adom like a book, and as soon as he saw the tell-tale motions of Adom committing himself to a forward motion, he twisted aside, letting Adom go flying behind, and stabbed him through the stomach. Adom fell to his knees, as Max viciously twisted his sword. Adom's eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground, dead. Max withdrew his sword, and rushed in to help out his soldiers.
Adom's Mercenaries had the numerical advantage, but that was all. Max's group had the element of surprise, were better trained, and were fighting for their lives, which made them fight with a desperate energy.. Adom's Mercenaries were fighting for their pay, which made all the difference.
The battle was over shortly.
Max surveyed the battleground with amazement. It had taken roughly 10 minutes. Every last one of his soldiers was still alive, and besides slight cuts and bruises, everyone was fine. They had just taken three to one odds, without any casualties.
His group was busy celebrating their victory, hugging each other, and crying. Max whistled, to get their attention. Everyone fell silent.
"What should we do about these bodies?" Max asked.
"What about them, Serena replied, defiantly. "If it was us, they'd leave us here to rot."
"Agreed," said Lydia.
"If we just leave them here, then we're sinking to their level," said Max. Serena and Lydia looked abashed. "Vincent, take Katwa and Trowe, and start gathering some firewood. The rest of you, please put on those sanitary gloves, and start collecting the bodies into one place. I'm afraid the best we can do is to cremate these bodies. Wrap something around your mouth and nose to block out the odour."
Everyone did as they were told. Soon enough, they had an blazing bonfire on their hands, and they watched in silence as the bodies slowly roasted.
They set off for home.
Chapter 8
Nightfall.
It was dark, with the only light coming from the moonlight, cold, and Serena was really, really tired. They had hiked, with little breaks, almost the entire day, until they had reached the foot of the mountain pass. After finding several suitable caves for Peregrin's plan, they had retired for the night, after eating a quick meal of rations. Right now, it was Serena's shift on watch. As she sat, scanning the horizons with some new invention called "binoculars," for any sign of activity, the boredom was beginning to take a toll on her, and she was beginning to feel drowsy. She glanced at her watch and cursed: she still had an hour left before her shift ended.
Serena's thoughts began to wander. Despite her earlier show of confidence, she was wondering if she really would be able to lead an group of soldiers into battle. One wrong mistake on her part could cost her, her troops, and everyone else's lives: it was a huge responsibility. However, she knew that Peregrin had confidence in her abilities, and that gave her hope. With him leading, they would have a chance. The soft sound of approaching footsteps came from behind Serena, and she half turned, as Peregrin, looking calm as ever, sat down beside her.
"You can turn in for the night." Peregrin said. "I'll take the rest of your shift."
"No, it's alright. I just have another hour left, then my shift is done."
"I'll keep you company then."
"Peregrin, shouldn't you be asleep was well? You need your rest."
"Over my lifetime, I've learned to go ready with a minimal amount of sleep. I just don't feel tired at all right now."
Serena shrugged. "Fine." They were both silent for a while, with only the soft snoring coming from the members of Peregrin's soldiers breaking the silence.
"Peregrin, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did, but I'll give you another one."
"Very witty," Serena said, rolling her eyes. "Peregrin, why do you do these things?"
Peregrin turned to look at her, a questioning look on his face. "Huh?"
Serena bit her lip, and searched her thoughts for a way to express what she was trying to ask. "You're not selfish. You saved Ginny and I, taking on terrible odds. There were other people who saw us, you know. But they knew better than to get involved. You, on the other hand, just jumped right in, without a second thought.
"And your work on the farm. First to rise, last to go to bed. You're always constantly working, never taking breaks, never complaining. You almost drive Father crazy with your work ethic! It makes him look lazy.
"Taking on a group of trainees, and training them to become skilled warriors. Investing all your time, without asking for any sort of payment."
"And what we're doing right now! We're about to take on a group of ruthless criminals. Any other man would have fled, far, far away, and saved his own skin, even if it meant the death of other people. You, on the other hand, would never consider such a thing."
"So I ask, why?"
Peregrin didn't bother trying to lighten the situation with a joke, which Serena appreciated. Serena watched his face, silently, and saw him struggle to try to come up with an answer.
"I've seen a lot of things during my lifetime."
Serena waited.
"One of them was the death of my teacher."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright. He had a good life. Anyway, what he did, was selflessly trained me, when no one else would bother to look at a little urchin like me. He didn't have to do it. He got nothing out of it. Yet he did it anyway.
"I'm just trying to follow his example. If I don't work hard, then I've betrayed what he's taught me over the years. If I don't help other people, I've betrayed his memory as well.
He fell silent, and Serena realized he was finished. This was the first time he had really opened up about himself. Peregrin got up, and brushed himself off.
"Where are you going?" Serena asked.
"Well, your watch is over," Peregrin replied, smiling. "I was just about to wake Lydia up, then I thought I'd get some sleep."
Serena looked at her watch, surprised. He was right. She watched as Peregrin shook Lydia, waking her up, then crawled into his sleeping bag.
Serena greeted Lydia, then crawled into her own sleeping bag. She was asleep in seconds.
*
They came right during dinner, the next day.
"Oh my God! They're here!" Vincent said. Everyone became deathly quiet, and all looked toward Max.
Max sighed, then stood up. He picked up the pair of binoculars, and looked out in the direction that Vincent pointed in. There, in the distance he could see a throng of people, colourfully dressed, all sporting the crest that Adom's Mercenaries wore.
Max put down his binoculars. "Adom's finally here." He looked at the pale paces before him. "Serena, gather your group. Everyone, make your final preparatory check. This is it. I have faith in all of you. Remember the plan. Good luck."
Serena nodded to Max, then holding her head up high, gave a quick hand motion, signalling her group to follow. Together, they travelled North, where a certain cave awaited, from where they would spring their ambush. Max looked around at the remaining members of the group.
"Let's go."
They headed South, and entered their hiding spot. Nervous chatter began to break out from Max's group. Max shushed it down. For this plan to work, it would require complete silence. They waited.
Soon enough, they heard the sound of voices approaching. Apparently, Adom's Mercenaries didn't know the value of subtlety. They were making no attempt at all to travel with any sort of stealth.
"Overconfident," Max thought. Perfect.
As the Mercenaries drew near, Max stepped out, alone, into the path of three dozen armed men. Their raucous laughter quickly stopped as they saw Max.
Max sighed. The plan would have been much more efficient if he didn't have to do this. However, his sense of honour did not allow him to pre-emptively strike at this group of disgusting beings. He had to at least make the offer, though the chances of them accepting were slim.
"Your name?" Max asked to the apparent leader of the group.
"I am Adom Thracio, leader of Adom's Mercenaries," said a particularly cold-eyed man, with a sallow face, and somewhat long, greasy hair. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I am known as Peregrin," Max replied.
"So. You're the boy who slaughtered six of my men." Murmurs rose from the group behind Adom.
"Yes. Why are you heading toward this village?"
"To kill you." Adom grinned. "And to kill the rest of those fools in the village who kept you safe from us."
Max gritted his teeth. He always hated to see bullies, and although he had seen more vile, and evil criminals, they simply weren't as petty as the man standing in front of him.
Max shook his head. "I'm giving you one chance, and one chance only. Turn back now."
Adom simply raised one eyebrow, as the rest of his men laughed uproariously, and hurled insults toward Max, which he ignored. "Why should we?"
Max put on a determined face. "So you will live."
Adom shook his head in bemusement. "I'm sorry, Peregrin, but have you noticed the situation you're in? You fool! You should be pleading for your life right now!"
Max sighed. He recognized bluster and over-confidence when he saw it, and Adom was filled up to the brim with it. "Final warning. Turn back now."
Adom smirked. "I don't know, let me think...no. Now you're going to die." He drew a particularly wicked looking sword. I'm going to enjoy this.
Max wasn't listening. He was already concentrating. He slipped on the Evil Ring, and held up his right hand. The Ring began to glow...
Adom frowned. What exactly was the boy doing? He must have something planned. He looked around, then finally looked up. His jaw dropped as he looked at the sky above. Their, a floating green ball of energy had mysteriously appeared.
The green ball lazily floated towards the rear end of Adom's group. It then began lashing out with green bolts of energy. Men died in an instant, screaming in agony, as their bodies were quickly roasted inside. Since Adom's Mercenaries were so tightly packed together, they were fodder for Max's Bolt 3 spell. Several men were killed, and more were badly injured. The green ball of energy disappeared.
Max quickly summoned the destructive energy of the Evil Ring again. That same green ball of energy appeared out of thin air again, and lashed out once more with its bolts. The result was pretty much the same, as men died horribly. Max noticed that the Evil Ring had began to emit smoke, and he decided to stop calling on it's energy. Adom's Mercenaries were left in confusion, as Adom began screaming calls to battle. Max drew his sword, and shouted.
"Charge!"
Serena heard Max's shout, and signalling the rest of her group, took off at a run, and charged toward the rear of the enemy's formation. They were on the Mercenaries before they were even aware of their presence. Swords flashed, and the sounds of steel meeting flesh, and the cries of the wounded rang out. Serena and her group cut through her disorganized enemies with ease. Max had trained them well. Serena was doing a particularly gruesome job of slaying mercenaries.
On Max's side of the battle, the rest of Max's group charged out from their hiding spot, and engaged Adom's Mercenaries. Lydia and Vincent worked together as a team, covering each other, and cut through the enemies like butter. Max personally engaged Adom in a duel. Adom was a ruthless criminal, hardened, and tough. However, Max was possibly the greatest swordsman in the world. He had faced off against great enemies like Kain, and Darksol. He had defeated Dark Dragon. His edge hadn't been dulled at all by his time away from the Shining Force. In short, Adom didn't have a chance.
Adom lunged, trying to stab Max. It would have killed him cleanly, except for the fact that Max was no longer there. He had read Adom like a book, and as soon as he saw the tell-tale motions of Adom committing himself to a forward motion, he twisted aside, letting Adom go flying behind, and stabbed him through the stomach. Adom fell to his knees, as Max viciously twisted his sword. Adom's eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground, dead. Max withdrew his sword, and rushed in to help out his soldiers.
Adom's Mercenaries had the numerical advantage, but that was all. Max's group had the element of surprise, were better trained, and were fighting for their lives, which made them fight with a desperate energy.. Adom's Mercenaries were fighting for their pay, which made all the difference.
The battle was over shortly.
Max surveyed the battleground with amazement. It had taken roughly 10 minutes. Every last one of his soldiers was still alive, and besides slight cuts and bruises, everyone was fine. They had just taken three to one odds, without any casualties.
His group was busy celebrating their victory, hugging each other, and crying. Max whistled, to get their attention. Everyone fell silent.
"What should we do about these bodies?" Max asked.
"What about them, Serena replied, defiantly. "If it was us, they'd leave us here to rot."
"Agreed," said Lydia.
"If we just leave them here, then we're sinking to their level," said Max. Serena and Lydia looked abashed. "Vincent, take Katwa and Trowe, and start gathering some firewood. The rest of you, please put on those sanitary gloves, and start collecting the bodies into one place. I'm afraid the best we can do is to cremate these bodies. Wrap something around your mouth and nose to block out the odour."
Everyone did as they were told. Soon enough, they had an blazing bonfire on their hands, and they watched in silence as the bodies slowly roasted.
They set off for home.
